Authorities: 18 indicted Ohio drug sting probe

AKRON, Ohio (AP) — Federal and local authorities say 18 men were indicted in a sting investigation of rings funneling cocaine, heroin and other drugs from Mexico to northeast Ohio.

Authorities say the 15-month investigation ranged from Akron to the U.S. border with Mexico and involved traffickers in Arizona and Nevada. The indictments were unsealed Tuesday.

Authorities say they seized more than 380 pounds of marijuana, 22 pounds of cocaine and smaller amounts of other drugs.

The Akron Beacon Journal reports investigators also confiscated $271,000 in cash, eight vehicles and $500,000 in other assets.

Agent Geno Corley of the Drug Enforcement Administration says a citizen’s tip triggered the probe. He estimates the sales network was in place for at least three years and funneled more than $1 million to traffickers in Mexico.